Tuesday (15-May-2018) — Japan

Gone to See Japan. Travel New Jersey to Tokyo.

The direct flight from New Jersey to Tokyo was long. I’ve never been on a 12+ hour flight before, and upgraded so I would have more leg room. I selected a window seat since the polar route was going over Canada, Alaska, and Russia — and hoped to take some images of the ground (weather permitting). Unfortunately, my “window seat” didn’t have a window. ARRG! One interesting note is that the seats on the plane had shoulder seat belts that we were supposed to wear during takeoff and landing. Once we arrived at the Narita Airport, the queues through immigration and customs were quick and efficient. It appeared that women got an extra metal detecting hand wand exam looking for gold bullion while passing through customs. I got a limo-bus ticket from Narita to the Keio Plaza hotel in the Shinjutu district of Tokyo (3100 Yen). The bus ride took a little over 1 hour. After arriving and checking in at the hotel I did a short walkabout where I saw many Azalea flowers in bloom. I used to have Azalea shrubs and flowers around my house, but the deer ate them to death.


Red Azalea Flowers. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)
Red Azalea Flowers. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

Seven-Years Ago (14-May-2011) — Belize

Gone to See Central America and the Panama Canal. Semester at Sea Spring 2011 Enrichment Voyage on the MV Explorer. Ultimate Travel Photography Workshop II with Michael Mariant. Day 18: Belize.

Pair of Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec).

Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. Image taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)
Black Vultures in Flight in Belize. Image taken with a Nikon D3s and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 200, 300 mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)

Friday (11-May-2018) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Tree Fungus, Azalea Flowers, and a Ground Hog. The tree fungus and red azalea flowers were in a neighbor’s yard. They have a high fence to keep the deer away. I lost my azalea shrubs years ago to the ever hungry deer. The groundhog was in my backyard, just at the dividing line between what is supposed to be the wildflower meadow and grass. You can see that the main thing growing in the wildflower meadow is the invasive “mile-a-minute” vine.

Tree Fungus. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)
Tree Fungus. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. (David J Mathre)



Two-Years Ago (11-May-2016) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Flight of the Bumblebee hard at work in my neighbors garden.

Pink columbine and bumble bee. Backyard spring nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 60 mm f/2.4 macro lens (ISO 200, 60 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)
Pink columbine and bumble bee. Image taken with a Fuji X-T1 camera and 60 mm f/2.4 macro lens (ISO 200, 60 mm, f/11, 1/320 sec). (David J Mathre)